SL Benfica

S.L. Benfica is a Portuguese club founded in 1904. The club is one of the most successful in Portuguese football. Together with their city rivals Sporting Libson and F.C. Porto, they make up the traditional “Big Three” in Portugal.

The club plays its football at Estádio da Luz in Lisbon. The stadium was built in 2003 and seats 65,000 spectators. Benfica are nicknamed The Eagles, as one appears on their badge. At Benfica’s home matches an eagle is released to fly around the stadium.

Unlike many European clubs, Benfica is owned by the supporters of the club. The club holds the Guinness World Record for the most widely supported football club, as it has over 160,000 paid-up members, more than any other club in the world.

Benfica holds the record for the most domestic league titles in Portugal, having won the Primeira Liga on 32 occasions. They also hold the record for the most Portugese Cup wins with 24. The club has won the Champions League twice in its history and was the first Portuguese side to do so. Because of their strong performances in their domestic league, Benfica regularly feature in the Champions League and Europa League.

Portuguese legend Eusébio is the club’s all-time leading goalscorer. He scored 473 goals in 440 appearances for the club. Other notable players to have played for Benfica include Real Madrid winger Angel Di María, Chelsea defender,David Luiz and Portuguese legend Rui Costa.

The club’s manager is Jorge Jesus. Jesus took charge of the team in 2009. He has won the Portuguese League Cup three times and the Primeira Liga once, in 2010. Benfica are captained by Brazilian defender Luisão. Benfica has a strong squad with players like Miranda, Maxi Perieira, Nemanja Matić and winger Nicolás Gaitán in addition to youngsters Ola John and Rodrigo.